Obsession with weight ‘still a problem'

Press, 14 August 1989, Page 32

Obsession with weight ‘still a problem'

By

DEBORAH McPherson

Many women still feel the social pressure to be thin, says the Women With Eating Disorders Resource Centre in Christchurch.

A community health worker at the centre, Ms Sue Louise, said the centre had continued to receive requests for help from a steady stream of women — some as young as 14 or 15 — in the last three years.

Eating disorders were usually linked with body image and weight, and were often triggered by diets to lose weight, she said.

Another community health worker at the centre, Ms Kim Chamberlain, said little recognition was given to the seriousness of eating disorders. People who become obsessed with food and weight often felt out of control around food. This obsessive thinking could lead to many eating disorders.

A 1986 study by the Christchurch School of Medicine found that 1 per cent of women in the city, aged between 18 and 44,

suffered from bulimia (binge eating followed by vomiting or large doses of laxatives). The study also found that 0.3 per cent of the women were anorexic (dramatic weight loss through not eating which can be life-threatening). A large number of the centre’s clients were either anorexic or bulimic, but some had other complusive eating disorders as well, said Ms Louise.

The centre, which is based in the Cranmer Centre, had changed its name in the last three months from the Anorexia and Bulimia Aid Group to W.E.D.R.C. to include a wider range of eating disorders.

It also worked closely with staff from The Princess Margaret Hospital’s eating disorder clinic. Like other voluntary community groups the centre was also struggling for funding. It only had Community Organisations Grants Scheme funding for the next two or three months, but hoped to apply for more money from the Canterbury Area Health Board, the Social Welfare Department and the Lottery Board.